UNDEDSS said that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration was yet to show sincerity in remediation of the region, starting with the clean-up of Ogoni land.

by Saharareporters, New York May 22, 2020

A coalition of civil society in the Niger Delta region, United Niger Delta Energy Development Security Strategy, has called on the Nigerian Government to discourage unjust practices in the region and live up to its responsibilities to the people.

UNDEDSS said that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration was yet to show sincerity in remediation of the region, starting with the clean-up of Ogoni land.

The coalition posited that the Federal Government had exhibited lack of equity and fairness by not giving COVID-19 Stimulus Funds to states of the Niger Delta being where Nigeria's major revenue flow was sourced from.

The group also urged President Buhari to ensure corruption was wiped out of the Niger Delta Development Commission.

In a statement, Secretary General of UNDEDSS, Mr. Tony I Uranta, said, "The region is determined to get the Federal Government of Nigeria to honour its own end of the bargain before the end of 2020 including clean-up of Ogoni land; robust funding for the Maritime University in Gbaramatu; the full installation and commissioning of the currently abandoned mega-Dry Dock in the region; the completion of the sanitizing and full funding of the NDDC; and the demilitarization of the Niger Delta amongst others.

"President Buhari must not relent in the ongoing NDDC audit to clean out the years of corruption in the agency.

"We must end the many years of raping the Niger Delta with impunity. We know that even the Senate putative scheming against the Committee is not altruistic, but is rather born out of the losing of humongous rent collections by certain premier officers of the National Assembly. The National Assembly must stop blackmailing the IMC.

"UNDEDSS shall also turn our x-ray on corrupt governance in the region's state governments this year; but until Nigeria learns to systemically embrace independent monitoring and evaluation, corruption will never die in government ministeries, departments and agencies."

The coalition also commended the COVID-19 fight in Lagos and Rivers states, specially saluting health workers for their selfless services at this critical period of the pandemic.

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